European Young Leaders

What do a microbiologist, an entrepreneur, a journalist and a Member of Parliament have in common?

They are all European Young Leaders who are engaged in making Europe a global champion for a better world.

The European Young Leaders (EYL40) programme, organised by Friends of Europe, is a unique, inventive and multi-stakeholder programme that aims to promote a European identity by engaging the continent’s most promising talents and initiatives.

The European Young Leaders represent promising European leadership from all over the continent, with a wide variety of backgrounds including politics, business, civil society, academia, arts, science and the media.

Every year, they meet for two three-day seminars in symbolic European cities, joined by decision-makers, stakeholders and key European actors to discuss issues of common concern and develop concrete proposals and recommendations to tackle the challenges facing Europe and its citizens.

The European Young Leaders now represent a network of more than 180 alumni.

The programme was initially conceived with EuropaNova, a Paris-based think-tank.

Myriam is an academic, broadcaster and writer specialising in issues related to Islam and the Middle East. She is a regular contributor to the Middle East Eye, the New Statesman and the Telegraph. In 2014, she broke a headline story on an exclusive 36-page document written by Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the Al-Qaeda militant behind the 9/11 attacks. Since then, she presented two BBC documentaries, ‘The Muslim Pound’ (2016) and ‘A Deadly Warning: Srebrenica Revisited’ (2015) nominated for the Sandford St Martin religious programming award. Myriam is also a Research Associate at the Centre of Islamic Studies at SOAS University, where she focuses on British-Muslim integration issues. She recently completed her doctorate at Oxford University on the subject of Islamic political movements in Morocco.

Germany

Markus Freiburg

Founder & Managing Director of FASE

Markus is the founder of the Financing Agency for Social Entrepreneurship (FASE), a leading financial intermediary that helps social enterprises scale their social impact by helping them raise hybrid growth capital. FASE has built an open pipeline of investment-ready social enterprises and closed sixteen transactions leveraging around €6m in impact investments. Markus is also a member of the Expert Group on Social Entrepreneurship (GECES), a consultative multi-stakeholder group on social business that examines the progress of measures foreseen by the European Commission. He has experience of working with many social enterprises in finding appropriate financing solutions and scaling-up the impact of proven business models. Markus worked for seven years as a management consultant at McKinsey & Company, where one of his roles was providing pro-bono consulting for social entrepreneurs.

Italy

Alessandro Fusacchia

Strategic Advisor H-Farm

Alessandro is a former Advisor to the Italian Economic Development Minister on European Affairs, Innovation and Youth, and former Head of Office at the Italian Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport. Previously he was an official at the Council of the European Union dealing with global economic governance (G20/IMF). He has worked for the Italian Prime Minister’s office in Rome as part of the G8 team, as well as for the Italian Ministry of International Trade. He teaches at the LUISS Guido Carlo School of Government in Rome and at the Institut d’Etudes Politiques in Paris. He was until recently President of RENA, the Italian association of young professionals promoting innovation, merit, youth empowerment and a new generation of local public policies. He is also the author of two novels.

Bulgaria

Mariya Gabriel

European Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society

Mariya is a Bulgarian politician currently serving as the European Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society. Previously, Mariya was also a Member of the European Parliament, active as both the Head of the Bulgarian European People’s Party (EPP) delegation and Vice-President of the EPP party, and involved in a wide range of parliamentary committees, including acting as EPP Group coordinator for the Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality( FEMM), and as a Member of the Committees on Agriculture and Rural Development (AGRI); Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE); Petitions (PETI); and the special committee on organised crime, corruption and money laundering (CRIM). Recipient of several international awards, she is passionate about initiatives related to young people, and has established six European information centres in Bulgaria.

Spain

Sara Garcia Ruiz

Engineer, S.A. de Electronica Submarina (SAES)

Sara is an engineer at S.A. de Electronica Submarina (SAES), a company specialised in submarine electronics and acoustics. Prior to this, she was a Member of the Murcian regional Parliament where she served as First Secretary of the Defense Committee as well as a Member of the Science and Innovation and Equality Committees. She has been a Member of the Spanish Socialist Worker’s Party since she was 16. She studied communications engineering and has worked in the defence policy sector. She stands for male-female parity in Spain’s politics and for the presence of members of parliament of all ages.

Spain

Josep-Maria Gascón

Chairman of the International Advisory Board World Chemical Summit

Josep-Maria has over 20 years of international experience, having held senior positions in finance leadership, global strategy as well as legal and tax advice. Before his current role, Josep-Maria was Head of Finance Excellence at the chemical giant Solvay. Previously, he was one of Solvay’s leading tax lawyers, serving as Associate General of Tax at the Belgium-based global headquarters and Director of Tax for Spain and Portugal. Josep-Maria received a ‘40 under 40’ award, which acknowledges the best forty young lawyers from Spain and Portugal and was appointed as ‘Business Ambassador’ by the Government of Catalonia, recognising his role in attracting investment to the region.

Cyprus

Katerina Gavrielidou

Founder & President of the European Cyprus Society

Passionate about youth empowerment, urban affairs and youth participation, Katerina is President and Founder of the European Cyprus Society, an NGO which encourages young Cypriots to engage with issues that concern them, such as education, European and international relations, and national politics. Her contribution to youth empowerment in Cyprus and worldwide has earned her various titles and awards, including the Queen’s Young Leaders Award, Representative of European youth to the advisory body of the UN Habitat and UN Youth Envoy Nominee.

Mamoun Ghallab

Founder MakeSense

Mamoun is a Moroccan adviser and activist on sustainable development who founded in 2015 MakeSense, a sustainable development consultancy firm and has over six years of professional experience in environmental strategy consultancy and management. Mamoun gained media attention after launching Zero Zbel Xperience, an environmental association which seeks to educate Moroccan youth on environmental protection, sustainable consumption and recycling through the adoption of a ‘zero-waste’ lifestyle. In recognition of his efforts and expertise, he was part of the Moroccan delegation to the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference. He has often featured in the Moroccan press for his environmental activism and has also given a TED talk on the Zero Zbel Experience.

Sweden

Edvard Glücksman

Senior Environmental & Social Specialist, Wardell Armstrong LLP

Edvard is a Chartered Scientist specialising in understanding environmental and social impacts of development projects around the world. His most recent work has focused on mitigating negative impacts to align mining projects in Kazakhstan with international standards. Edvard is also affiliated with the University of Exeter’s Environment and Sustainability Institute, where he lectures on sustainability issues and corporate social responsibility. He has previously held a number of roles at the interface of science and society, having worked at the European Geosciences Union and the UK Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology. He holds MSc and PhD degrees from the University of Oxford and undergraduate degrees from the University of St Andrews and McGill University.

Spain

Jamy Goewie

Founder & Co-Director Ashoka

Jamy supports young entrepreneurs as a member of the European Leadership Platform’s advisory board, and as the Country Director of Ashoka, the worldwide network of social entrepreneurs. She is also a board member of the Child at Venture Foundation, which she founded in 2005, and where she acted as Executive Director for over seven years. In 2010, she established an office in the Philippines, where she remains chairperson of the Youth at Venture Foundation. She is also a board member of the Children of Bulgaria Foundation, which supports Bulgarian orphanages through food and educational programmes. She has a Master’s degree in Geography and another in Pedagogical Studies as well as a Bachelor’s in Policy, Strategy and Management for Non-Profit.

Pagination

Pagination

Who are we looking for?

We’re looking for a new generation of change-makers – a new class of European Young Leaders who will carry the baton forward and help lead Europe into a better, brighter future. Do you know anyone who fits the bill?

The candidates should be European citizens between 30 and 40 years of age (born in 1979 or afterwards); with a proven track record as established opinion leaders in their fields of activity, including, but not limited to: politics, science, business, media, the arts, and civil society. We look for candidates who are creative, committed and passionate about reshaping the world and we are particularly interested in those who have not only demonstrated a strong engagement with Europe, but who are also on track to reach the highest ranks of their field of expertise. Past candidates include: government ministers, CEOs, Michelin-starred chefs, international film directors, and high profile journalists.

Every year we are amazed at how incredible each new class is. Help us make the 2019 class of European Young Leaders one for the record.

Current and previous European Young Leaders include

Jesse Klaver, Leader of the Dutch Green party “GroenLinks”Eleni Antoniadou, Co-Founder of Transplants without DonorsAdil El Arbi, Film Director and ScreenwriterVirginia Raggi, Mayor of RomeEneko Atxa, Chef at three-Michelin-starred restaurant AzurmendiKaja Kallas, Member of the European ParliamentMariya Gabriel, European Commissioner for Digital Economy & SocietyBastian Obermayer, Pulitzer prize-winning investigative journalistJohn Collison, President & Co-Founder of StripeSelina Juul, Founder and Chairman of the Stop Wasting Food movementBrune Poirson, Secretary of State to the French Minister for the Ecological and Inclusive TransitionJanis Jonevs, Author and winner of the European prize for literatureHumza Yousaf, Scottish Minister for Transport and IslandsGuillem Anglada-Escudé, Astrophysicist and discoverer of the Proxima b exoplanetDionysis Grammenos, Award-winning conductor and clarinetistJens Spahn, Minister for Health, National Parliament of Germany (Bundestag)Frédéric Mazzella, CEO and Founder of BlablaCarLindsey Nefesh-Clarke, Founder & President of Women’s Worldwide WebCarole Dieschbourg, Minister for the Environment, National Parliament of Luxembourg

Application process

For personal applications:
Please send your CV (including date of birth and full contact details), together with a cover letter explaining why you believe that you should be considered for the EYL40 programme.

For nominations:
Please send the full name, date of birth and full contact details of the candidate that you wish to nominate, together with a short biography of their professional background and achievements, and a letter explaining why you believe that they are a suitable candidate for the programme.

The 2019 nomination process is now officially closed.

Thank you to all those who nominated candidates or submitted an application for the Class of 2019.

Kindly note that only successful applicants will be contacted.

About the EYL40 ProgrammeThe European Young Leaders programme is a unique, multi-stakeholder programme, which aims to promote a sense of European identity by bringing together 40 of the most promising European leaders and engaging them in initiatives that will shape Europe’s future. The relaxed tone, and out-of-the-box nature of the programme have led to salient and open discussions and created a strong leadership network of committed Europeans.

The programme was initially conceived with EuropaNova, a Paris-based think-tank.